Goldman Sachs Names UPSIDE Foods CEO Uma Valeti an Exceptional Entrepreneur of 2026

Investment bank Goldman Sachs has named Uma Valeti, founder and CEO of UPSIDE Foods, a cultivated meat company, as one of its Most Exceptional Entrepreneurs of 2026. The recognition was presented at the bank’s Builders and Innovators Summit, with honorees selected from various industries. Valeti, a former cardiologist, founded the company in 2015, originally known as Memphis Meats, and has since focused on growing meat from animal cells using a similar approach to regenerating damaged heart tissue with stem cells.

Valeti, in his acceptance of the award, emphasized the importance of bringing cultivated meat to scale through American ingenuity and manufacturing. UPSIDE Foods has recently launched Lucius Labs, a spinoff selling cell culture media to the life sciences sector, and is also challenging state-level bans on cultivated meat in court. Despite these hurdles, Valeti's long-term vision extends beyond their current product to creating more choices for consumers and building a stronger, more resilient food system.